Match Preview: Portland Thorns at KC Current

The Kansas City Current take the field Saturday morning to launch their fifth season in existence and this one feels different. Change and low expectations have marked the onset of many of their previous opening kickoffs. In 2021 they had barely unpacked their bags before launching into their inaugural season at Legends Field with Huw Williams as coach. Little was expected from the team and that’s exactly what they accomplished–finishing with 14 loses and just 16 points from 24 games.

2022 brought a shift to Children’s Mercy Park and to Matt Potter as coach, not to mention finally gaining an identity as the Current. The squad found their footing that season and actually progressed to the Championship Match before falling to the Portland Thorns 0-2. There was some hope that 2023 could match or exceed those levels, but that hope was quickly dashed as KC stumbled out of the gate and limped to a second-to-last finish as well as seeing the replacement of Potter with Caroline Sjöblom.

Despite rather tepid on the field results, excitement for this team continued to build around the metro area, thanks in part to the commitment that the ownership group was showing towards establishing a model women’s club. This commitment led to the hiring of former USWNT coach Vlatko Andonovski (the fourth head coach in four years) and the opening of a first-of-its-kind CPKC Stadium for the 2024 season. Additionally, last season marked another roster overhaul as very few of the 2023 starters were on the pitch to inaugurate 2024.

Fans showed up early and often, going on to sellout every league game throughout the year and were rewarded with the most exciting and successful soccer this team had yet produced. The Current set the record for the greatest number of total goals and the greatest number of different goal scorers in league history and finished in a clump of four ultra-successful teams atop the table. Individually, Kansas City also got to celebrate the MVP turn of new superstar Temwa Chawinga, who established multiple scoring records of her own.

Ultimately, 2024 would end in disappointment as Marta and the Orlando Pride would edge the Current 2-3 in a semifinal match before going on the win the title (at CPKC Stadium). Despite this, last season firmly established KC as one of the standard-bearers for the league in terms of both off-the-field operations and on-the-field success.

The team also got to enjoy much more continuity than they have in the lead up to any other season. Vlatko is back for year two and CPKC Stadium is the crown jewel of the NWSL. Outside of the goalkeeping spot, virtually every primary contributor to last year’s success is back and hopefully the team will have a cleaner bill of health as players like Robinson, Pfeiffer, and Bia work their way back from season-ending injuries.

What does this all mean? Well, come Saturday Kansas City will be painted teal and CPKC will be rocking. It is likely not a coincidence that the team scheduled to visit for the opening day match is the same one that kicked off 2024 at the brand-new stadium. The Current and the Thorns treated fans on a national TV broadcast to one of the more entertaining games in league history with KC ultimately prevailing 5-4. While it’s unlikely that another nine goals are going to be scored this time around, it’s also unlikely that this will be a defensive stalemate as Chawinga and her cohorts clash with Sophia Wilson (née Smith) and the rest of an always-dangerous Portland side. (Of note, Wilson and her husband also just announced a pregnancy throwing doubt onto her involvement in this match and perhaps much/all of the season for Portland.)

What’s changed for a Portland team that finished 6th in 2024 and lost in the first round of the playoffs to Gotham? Well…a lot. Portland has been hit hard by a combination of retirements (legends like Christine Sinclair, Becky Sauerbrunn, & Meghan Klingenberg) and injuries (Morgan Weaver, Nicole Payne and Marie Müller: all season-ending). These absences combined with the likely unavailability of Wilson and the team’s offensive and defensive lines have taken a hit.

Portland is trying to compensate for these loses by bringing in a number of talented athletes. Daiane and Sam Hiatt are the likely new center back pairing. Deyna Castellanos and Pietra Tordin (a US U20 World Cup star) are new attacking threats. Jayden Perry and Carissa Boeckmann are a pair of exciting rookies. And Bella Bixby returns to goal from her own maternity leave. Add to this list already established contributors such as Sam Coffey, Olivia Moultrie, and Jessie Fleming holding down the midfield and KC’s old friend Alexa Spaanstra as a forward and this roster still has the makings of a dangerous team.

The usually successful Thorns were a rather middling team in 2024. In their existence, they have only failed to make the playoffs a single time (2015) and have won the title thrice. With that said, any success they experience in 2025 will depend on how quickly and completely they can overcome the multitude of departures/injuries and how effectively the new unit is able to gel. They face a big test right out of the gate, going on the road to face a hungry KC side with a rowdy and (almost certainly) sold out stadium.

What’s changed for a Kansas City team that finished 4th and lost in the semifinals last season? Not as much as in years past (and not as much as has for Portland). Yes, there were some inevitable player transactions in the offseason. Desi Scott (semi-) retired and there was an overhaul in the goalmouth as last year’s two starters AD Franch and Almuth Schult weren’t re-signed. Additionally, Ballisager, Weber, and Magaia weren’t brought back into the fold.

To compensate for those departures, Kansas City recruited a nice collection of incoming talent. First of all, the keeper position will be held down by a combination of recent Olympic silver medalist with Brazil, Lorena, and former Seattle Reign netminder Laurel Ivory. Veteran midfielder Rocky Rodriguez was signed from Angel City and physical forward Haley Hopkins was traded for from the North Carolina Courage. Finally, a trio of rookies: goalkeeper Clare Gagne, defender Katie Scott and forward Mary Long, were signed from the college ranks (now that there is no draft) and hope to follow in the footsteps of athletes like Hutton and Wheeler as youths who were able to make an immediate impact.

Again, outside of the goalie spot, the minutes for the newly signed players may be initially hard to come by as returning starters/regular contributors Hailie Mace, Ellie Wheeler, Izzy Rodriguez, Alana Cook, Kayla Sharples, Gabby Robinson, Elizabeth Ball (defense), Lo LaBonta, Claire Hutton, Vanessa DiBernardo, Debinha, Bayley Feist (midfield), Michelle Cooper, Nichelle Prince, Bia, and Temwa Chawinga (forwards) are back and ready to build on their successes from ’24.

What does this all mean for this weekend’s match? Most of the signs point to a successful opening for the Current. Not only did they do better last season (and won both matches versus Portland), but they have much more continuity entering this season. Add in the distinct homefield advantage that CPKC provides, and it will be an uphill battle for the visitors. With that said, one of the truths about the NWSL is its unpredictability. The last time KC made the postseason; they were a month into the next season before they won again. And if there is anything in the league that would be a “sure thing,” it would be Portland fielding a competitive team.

Saturday will start to answer a lot of the questions about what is reasonable to expect for these teams in 2025.

WHEN: Saturday, March 15 at 11:45 AM (Central Time)

WHERE: CPKC Stadium, Kansas City, MO

HOW TO WATCH: ABC/ESPN Deportes/ESPN+

Record:

KC Current (2024 regular season): 16-7-3 (55 points, 4th place in NWSL league standings)

Portland Thorns (2024 regular season): 10-4-12 (37 points, 6th place in NWSL league standings)

Last Match:

KC Current (2024 league semifinals): 2-3 road loss to Orlando Pride

Portland Thorns (2024 league quarterfinals): 1-2 road loss to NJ/NY Gotham